The Fall of Truth
by Avatarfanx2
Summary: At the last minute, Katara chose to accompany the Earth King when he welcomed the "Kyoshi Warriors" at the end of Book 2. She realizes their true identity on the spot and detains them. This is the journey of how the Avatar, the Northern Water Tribe, the Southern Water Tribe, the Northern Air Temple, and a furious Earth King combine their ingenuity to end the 100 Year War.
1. Chapter 1: Recognition

**Author's Note**: I've decided to embark on a new journey through the world of _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ fanfiction. At the end of Season 2, the Earth Kingdom fell to the Fire Nation under a coup organized by Azula. The Fire Nation princess was able to infiltrate the Earth Kingdom capital because the Earth King did not recognize her for who she truly. But what if Katara had been there with him to "welcome" the "Kyoshi Warriors" to Ba Sing Se? I'm just kind of going to go on this what if scenario and try to show what could have happened. Thanks for reading, and as always, please review if you can! :D

**Disclaimer**: _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ or _Avatar: The Legend of Aang_ and all things related are property of Nickelodeon, a division of Viacom International. I am not making any profit off of this work in any way, shape, or form.

The Fall of Truth

* * *

**Chapter 1: Recognition**

* * *

Katara and King Kuei descended the steps of the palace, which were restored after Toph destroyed them, with three Royal Earthbender Guards flanking them.

Upon reaching the bottom of the staircase, they stepped onto the raised platform. Down the plaza, Royal Earthbender Guards lined both sides to welcome the Kyoshi Warriors.

As the three girls in ornate makeup and long robes made their way to the top of the plaza, Momo became more and more excited—and not in a good way—and began frantically chirping and flying around. Katara tried her best to calm the lemur as King Kuei turned to her side with a slight look of annoyance. However, Katara was at unease, too. There were many more than just three Kyoshi Warriors… What had happened to the others?

The waterbender decided to watch the scene closely for any 'surprises' that could be thrown at them. Ba Sing Se wasn't exactly known for its honesty, and their group had run into too many problems in the past for her to ignore her wary instincts.

By the time Katara had finally calmed Momo down, the Kyoshi Warriors had already arrived at the top of the plaza beneath the platform and had bowed.

Raising his arms in ceremony, King Kuei solemnly declared, "In our hour of need, it is with the highest honor that I welcome our esteemed allies, the Kyoshi Warriors!"

Simultaneously, the three girls raised their heads, and the leader responded with a calm and cool voice, "We are the Earth King's humble servants."

Katara's eyes widened as soon as she heard her. She'd recognize that voice anywhere! That wasn't Suki; that was… She finally understood Momo's earlier erratic behavior.

Moving swiftly, Katara brought her hands above her head and called upon the water in the moat behind her. With a complex maneuver of her hands, she brought the entire mass of water onto the three girls in front of her and froze all three in a block of ice.

Careful to keep the ice frozen against Azula's attempts to melt it from the inside, Katara turned to face King Kuei's incredulous face. "They're not the real Kyoshi Warriors!" She explained, trying to multitask even though it was becoming extremely difficult. "Look, I can't explain now, but as soon as I let go of this freeze, your guards have to arrest them. Okay? I'll explain in a minute."

King Kuei nodded and announced to all of the guards in the plaza, "As soon as she unfreezes them, detain the assailants!"

The nearest sixteen guards moved forward and took their stances, ready to face any attack coming their way.

Satisfied that the guards were ready, Katara dropped her hands and let the ice unfreeze.

Immediately, Ty Lee tried to jump up but was caught between two walls of earth and brought back down to the earth, unable to move. Simultaneously, the ground underneath Mai turned to quicksand, and she sunk until only her head was visible. Azula, however, would not be interned so easily. As soon as Katara had released her hold, the Fire Princess had unleashed a burst of blue fire from her fingers at the Earth King. However, the King bent a wall of earth to intercept the flame, which dissipated upon contact. When she was distracted while concentrating on her attack, three Royal Guards had encased her feet in the ground and sunk her.

Unable to control herself, Azula flailed around and shot flames erratically at anything around her without any aim or fortitude. The Guards easily intercepted these flames and shot earthen handcuffs at her. She was able to dodge the first few, but eventually, she was subdued as well. With her hands unable to move, Azula crashed to the ground and went unconscious from the impact. Mai's eyes widened at seeing her once prodigious friend and classmate fall. Ty Lee openly gasped as Azula fell. The Fire Princess had never lost a fight before!

None of that mattered, though, for Azula's streak had been ended, and Katara and Kuei were gazing upon the three Fire Nation nobles with malice and hatred. Now was not the time to bemoan themselves, and Mai and Ty Lee knew it. Now was the time to make sure that they wouldn't be seriously hurt at the hands of the enemy.

"Take them to the dungeons of the palace," Kuei ordered his guards.

"And make sure that they are all in cells made of pure metal, as thick as possible, without any windows to let sunlight in. And handcuff them all to the walls. Make sure there is _no _chance for them to escape their holdings," Katara announced. She might not have any authority to order the Royal Guards, but she doubted Kuei would oppose her judgment on this issue. She had faced these girls head-on far too many times to let them ever have the chance of escaping. They were far too dangerous.

"Do as she says," Kuei commanded.

With the prisoners on their way to the dungeons and the Royal Guards cleaning up after the fight, Kuei motioned for Katara to follow him back into the palace and signaled for a few guards to accompany them.

The group made the short journey in silence. There was no need for words after what they had just witnessed. If the Fire Nation had found a way to infiltrate the safest city on Earth, who knew where the Fire spies were! They could be clinging to the walls right now! With this in mind, the Guards kept cautiously glancing around the premises, never once letting their stances down.

Once inside, the Guards left Kuei and Katara to their own devices.

The King led Katara down a series of dark passageways in the palace, none of which the waterbender seemed to recognize—not that she had been in the palace enough to know its ins and outs.

Eventually, the two entered a room with no windows and only a small oil lamp on the right wall for lighting.

Katara could swear that they had come to a dead end until Kuei deliberately walked forward to the wall across from them. There, he placed his right hand on the wall and clenched his left hand to strike it. Upon impact, a perfectly rectangular section of the wall descended into the ground, leaving a clear doorway to walk into.

Kuei led the way into the new passage, and finally, they reached a room that seemed far outside of the main palace.

"These are my secret chambers. It's where I come when I need absolute privacy," Kuei explained as he sat at the table to the bemused Katara, "Now, who were those girls, and what were they doing in Kyoshi Warrior uniforms? And most importantly, how the heck could one of them firebend?"

Katara took a seat across from the King and closed her eyes for a minute. Rubbing her forehead, she slowly opened them and began to speak: "Those three were from the Fire Nation. The girl on the right was Ty Lee and the left Mai. It's a good thing that neither of them found an opening to attack, or we would've been toast. The girl who could firebend was Princess Azula of the Fire Nation, one of the deadliest and most powerful enemies I have ever fought."

Katara looked up to see Kuei's dumbfounded expression. "Princess?" He questioned in a soft voice, "The Fire Nation _princess _has found her way into my city? I never knew this war had spread so far…"

Kuei reached up and took off his glasses to freely rub his forehead to massage the oncoming headache. This was far too much information to process at once. "Okay, now what, Katara? Does this change our plans?"

Katara looked down, tired, "I don't know, My Lord. Everything made so much more sense a couple hours ago… This really isn't my role," she said hesitantly, "Sokka's usually the plan guy…"

Kuei just looked at her and noticed for the first time how young she was. Ever since he had first met her, and her friends for that matter, he had forgotten that they were merely kids because of the maturity with which they had been acting. But now, he saw that they were just children; children with the weight of the world on them. They were far too young; they didn't deserve this fate.

"It's alright Katara. We'll figure this out. Also, please, just call me Kuei. If our plans go ahead, you and I'll be working together for the next several months, and I hope we can treat each other as friends instead of lord and vassal."

Giving a comforting smile, he stood up. "Now, come. Let's have lunch. Then, we'll talk and decide where to go from there."

Katara nodded and slowly stood up to accompany the King to the dining room.

* * *

Toph released a breath that she had unknowingly been holding and knocked on the door. This was the address that her mom had referred to in her letter, and while her mother sounded as though she finally understood Toph and her situation, the earthbender couldn't let go of her feelings of trepidation.

What was worse was that no matter how far she extended her seismic sense, she couldn't seem to locate anyone inside the house. Of course, this wasn't necessarily a problem in and of itself; the house could have metal flooring as some Earth Kingdom noblemen's homes had… But Toph still couldn't let her unease go.

When no response came from the inside, Toph opened the door and walked in.

"Hello? Anyone home?"

In the last second, she heard, not felt, an almost inscrutable _whoosh_. Then it began to get louder, but it was too late.

The metal cage clamped shut around Toph just as she let out a scared and worried cry. "Hey! Who do you think you're dealing with?" She couldn't help the frightened tone in her voice. This was not good… Not good at all…

"One loud mouth little brat who strayed too far from home."

Toph's eyelids shot open as she recognized the voice. Becoming angry, she started punching on the cage. "Let me out, you rascal! I've beaten you before, and I can do it again!"

"Uh-uh-uh, Toph," said another voice that she would also recognize anywhere. "Your father made sure to bring him to you unharmed."

Toph grew even more angry at her old earthbending teacher's voice and pounded on her cage even harder. How dare they imprison her? And how dare her father send bounty hunters after her?

"Oh, quit your banging," Xin Fu yelled.

With that, the two men hoisted the cage outside and into an ostrich-horse cart.

"You're on your way home. I'm sure your parents will welcome you home with open arms," the wrestler toned sarcastically.

Toph pounded the cage one last time just to prove that she wasn't going to go with them without a fight—somehow—and was shocked to find that the metal bent forward at her touch without harming her.

What was this…?

Toph placed her hands on the metal and began to concentrate…

* * *

Deep underneath the palace, a Dai Li agent approached Long Feng's cell.

"Dinner," he said tonelessly.

As the former Grand Secretariat began to eat, the agent hesitantly spoke: "The Council of Five and the military are loyal to the Earth King, but the Dai Li are loyal to you, Long Feng, sir."

With that said, the agent walked off. There was nothing else to do.

Long Feng chewed his bun thoughtfully, pondering what his server had just said to him.

If that was indeed the case, he didn't need to be next to the Earth King to control the city; he could do it from prison…

Now to calculate his next move….

After finishing his meal, he returned to his now common meditating posture. There was little else to do, anyway, and besides, while meditating, he had the perfect chance to think about his next move. His trial was scheduled to take place in three days, but if he could escape beforehand…

With a dark gleam in his eyes and a cold smile on his face, he began planning his next move.

This time, a mere puppet wouldn't do. This time, the government itself would have to be overthrown…

* * *

In his apartment, Iroh gazed sadly at his nephew who was still sick and immobile. Watching Zuko go through his greatest change reminded Iroh of his own metamorphosis. It was not fun by any means, but it was worth it in the end.

_After his son died, he had been devastated and begun reflecting on himself in his grief to understand what sort of monster could do this to an innocent child, one who had his whole life ahead of him._

_The night after Lu Ten died, Iroh had taken a walk in their camp and had accidentally wandered out, lost in his musings._

_He had walked into a nearby village and jerked when he heard a babe's cry. It sounded so tired, so tortured, so alone…_

_Quietly, he followed the sound to the town's infirmary and gazed inside._

_The child was barely ten years old but had a deep gash on his exposed stomach. Iroh could see his intestines struggling to stay inside what flesh remained but failing. The healer tried helplessly to bandage the wound, but it had passed the point of no return a long time ago. The babe wouldn't live, and Iroh knew it. He had seen many such injuries in his own army's infirmary; he knew their fate…_

_Still, Iroh couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight of the child desperately holding on to his life._

_But the stomach wound wasn't even the worst part. The child turned his head, and Iroh felt his heart stop for a moment at what he saw._

_His entire face was burned. He knew those burns. They weren't from any natural fire; that injury had been caused by a master firebender. And since his army had the only firebenders in the area for miles, it was not hard to assume that it was one of his own men that had committed this atrocious crime. Was this the type of monster who could kill his son…?_

_Before his eyes, the child began to stop screaming and stopped moving entirely. In a few minutes, nothing, not even a rise of the chest to indicate that the child was breathing. Nothing. The healer paused for a moment but then began to cry, loud, heartwrenching bawls that pulled at Iroh's heartstrings._

_Turning away from the scene with tears falling from his own eyes, Iroh began to walk briskly back towards his camp. This was too much. The war was supposed to be good. It was meant to spread the best aspects of Fire Nation culture to the world, but this, this was not right! That child had been an innocent victim probably hunted by his own men out of pleasure! …Just like his own son had been…_

_As he ran, Iroh became lost in his own musings and had forgotten to pay attention to the path he had been taking._

_Finally pulling himself together, he found that large trees surrounded him in some sort of swamp. In front of him, he could see his son, smiling at him._

Zuko's cry for water jerked Iroh out of his memories and back to the present.

Zuko needed him right now. He could reminisce and grieve about the past later.

Iroh just hoped that Zuko would learn the truth early, unlike Iroh had. He hoped that Zuko would learn the truths of the world that had taken Iroh years and the cost of thousands of lives to learn.

* * *

The three girls had been all been put in adjacent cells, and the guard was especially heavy around their particular holdings.

Azula had yet to regain consciousness. That fall really seemed to have hurt her bad, and both of her friends were worried.

This wasn't like Azula at all. The Azula they knew was cold, calculating, and precise. It was not like her to lose a fight that easily. Something was not right.

In her own cell, Azula was asleep, but not exactly. There were a torrent of thoughts and emotions battling for supremacy and recognition in her mind. But one stood out: _How did she pin me down?_

All her life, Azula had been the pride of Ozai and the Fire Nation, always precise, always ready, always prepared. She had planned for every "what if", every response, and every situation. So how had it all gone wrong?

She had the entire thing under her control, just like she always had. Control, the one thing she prided herself on having. Control over her destiny, her friends, her servants, her guards, and even her teachers.

But somehow, that insolent waterbender peasant had ended that. How? She was a mere delinquent! She shouldn't have been able to capture the Fire Nation _Princess _so easily! Azula's thoughts constantly battled each other as they tried to find the whole in her plans that the Water peasant was able to exploit. But try as they might, they could not find it.

Somehow, that delinquent with no formal tactical training had bested the Fire Princess, and she would just have to deal with it.

But Azula couldn't… And it was driving her mad…

* * *

"Let's stop here for the night," Aang said as he pulled the reins to guide Appa downwards.

Sokka didn't respond; he had already fallen asleep on Appa's bare back. Clearly, someone needed a rest.

Aang just smiled and landed the bison. Once Appa was safely on the ground, he airbent himself onto Appa's back to wake the warrior. A sleeping bag would be much nicer than bison fur any night, and he knew it.

"Sokka, wake up!"

"Wha—?"

"I decided to take a break for the night before we head out to the bay tomorrow. Come on, get down. Let's get some real sleep."

Together, the two boys unloaded the little supplies they had brought from Ba Sing Se so that Appa could enjoy a comfortable night's rest as well. After all, he had a long day of flying ahead of him.

"Okay, night, Sokka!" Aang called after everything was ready.

"Night."

But even though neither of them said it out loud, they both knew that neither would get any sleep tonight. There was too much on both of their minds.

Sokka looked up at the stars, imagining meeting his father again after two long years… Would Hakoda accept him now? Would the chief still think him unfit to fight? Be angry that he hadn't stayed at the South Pole to protect the tribe?

All these questions and more roamed around Sokka's conscience, but eventually, the cool night air tugged him off to the vein of blissful sleep. Those questions would only be answered tomorrow, anyway. There was no need to worry about them now.

Aang, for his part, just wondered about this guru. Was Aang ready to master the Avatar State? All the previous avatars had mastered all four elements before even attempting to rein in the Avatar State's awesome powers. He, though, had only mastered one and was still learning two others, forget the last element which he couldn't even think of dealing with right now.

Would the Avatar State yield to him without control of the other elements? Would he win in the end? Would the guru turn him away when he found out that Aang hadn't mastered all the elements? And even if he did master the Avatar State, did that mean that he was a fully realized avatar without mastering firebending?

With these thoughts, Aang passed into a troubled sleep full of nightmares of Sozin's Comet and eight-handed, bearded men…

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well, again, thanks for reading, and please do leave a review! :)


	2. Chapter 2: Jurisdiction

**Author's Note: **Well here's Chapter 2! Most of the canon for the parts that weren't affected by Katara's capture in Ba Sing Se aren't affected, so I'm just going to skim through those parts. So for the next few chapters or so, I'm not really going to write much about Sokka's and Aang's trials. I will only explore what I determine important to this AU.

**Disclaimer: **_Avatar: The Last Airbender _or _Avatar: The Legend of Aang_ and all things related are property of Nickelodeon, a division of Viacom International. I am not making any profit off of this work in any way, shape, or form.

The Fall of Truth

* * *

**Chapter 2: Jurisdiction**

* * *

"Lady Katara, His Majesty has sent for you," the servant said to the girl who was lying on her bed, contemplating the complexities of the universe.

Dismissing the servant, Katara gathered herself and prepared to meet the king.

As soon as she entered the throne room, Katara saw Kuei and the Council of Five meeting. Not wanting to interrupt, she quietly went to her own place across from General How and next to Kuei.

After Katara was seated, Kuei motioned for General How to stop.

"Let's fill her in," he said simply.

How nodded and began to speak: "Katara, all yesterday and last night, we have been in session, making plans for the invasion. But His Majesty has brought an issue forward. The Dai Li and their conspiracy with Long Feng has made an irreversible impact on Ba Sing Se, and if we hope to execute our plans without that power-hungry fool after us, he needs to be dealt with. His Majesty has suggested that we hold the criminal's trial tonight instead of later so that we can proceed without any more impediments. However, we have waited for your input. You should also know that if the trial does take place tonight, it will only be a military tribunal, for we do not have the time to gather a civilian tribunal."

Katara stood up so that the men in the room could hear her more clearly. "My Lords, Long Feng is a man who put the very security of this nation and city in danger and who had used and manipulated the Earth King, the sovereign of the land, to gain more personal power. And the Dai Li are equally guilty in the crimes! Both the institution and its leader must be judged for the same crimes at the same time. They do not deserve to be given different trials for having committed the same crime. I say that even the military tribunal is too merciful on them. However, if that is the will of the Council, I will support it. Please, feel free to ask if you need any help from me."

The Council and Kuei took a silent moment and glanced at each other in shock. They had not expected such strong sentiments from the girl; they had merely expected her to either agree with their decision based on personal bias or disagree based on moral bias. But none of that mattered now. There was a criminal to be taken care of, and they Council knew its job.

"Very well, Lady Katara," General How responded, "The military tribunal to hear on the crimes of Long Feng and the Dai Li institution will be in exactly three hours. General Suu will draw up papers of charges of treason, manslaughter, and perjury among other crimes. This meeting is hereby adjourned."

After the Council left the room, Kuei turned to Katara. "That was very brave Katara. And impressive!" He smiled at her.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, but we have a trial to prepare for. What exactly shall I be doing?"

"You'll be a witness for the prosecution. If all goes well, we'll find both Long Feng and the Dai Li guilty of all charges and take care of them before they cause any more problems."

Katara nodded. "Kuei, when they are all found guilty, what will you sentence them to? You can't exactly execute every single member of the Dai Li…"

"I know. The law says that Long Feng must be executed immediately for treason by hanging, but as for the Dai Li, I haven't yet decided. I know that I'm completely disbanding them, though. For now, anyway. See, the problem is that the Dai Li only answer to me as a regent. The _Avatar's _regent. Avatar Kyoshi created the Dai Li, and so they are only answerable to the Avatar to this day. I can disband them for now, but only your friend can make it permanent."

Katara reeled back in surprise for a moment. This would have been such good news to know upon entering the city for her friends! It would have saved them so much trouble with the Dai Li if Aang had just asserted his authority over them.

"Well, I assure you that Aang will only support your decision. As _his _regent, though, I'm asking you to jail every single Dai Li agent in the city. We know that they were close to Long Feng, and we just can't take any more chances with them. I personally, as the Avatar's regent, will authorize this, and Aang can decide what he wishes to do with them later on. Is that alright with you?"

Kuei merely nodded in reply. "It is. But Katara, there's one other problem that we're not considering here: the Dai Li were the city's police. I can't just pull the law enforcement of the city and expect it to run!"

Katara hesitated. She and her friends had not considered this problem before.

"For now, I can have the Royal Earthbender Guards act as the city's police," Kuei continued, "But I'm not sure how long that will work. The Guard is already spread too thin. They have too many responsibilities. We'll have to find another solution." By the end, Kuei was talking to himself, barely noticing Katara's presence.

For her part, Katara merely stood there, trying to think through all of these new complications. When she and her friends had come to the city, they had not expected to find it in political turmoil and instability. All they'd wanted to do was assure the Earth King's support to invade the Fire Nation, but by getting themselves involved in the city's affairs, it seemed they had dug too far a hole. And now, they couldn't get out.

She would have to wait until Toph returned from her mother to deal with the law enforcement problem. The blind girl might hate laws and rules, but she sure did know how they were enforced and how to enforce them herself.

"You can leave now, Katara. I'll take care of the rest of the things for today. I'll see you in the Council's war room for the trial in two hours."

Nodding, Katara left the room. She had things to think about and problems to solve.

In her room, Katara set her mind to solving this complex political problem.

But this wasn't her forte! She was the person in the group who took care of everyone and made sure everything was working correctly and everyone was getting along. She wasn't the person to go to for help with problems. That had always been Sokka! She couldn't solve his! She would just have to wait until Sokka and Aang returned…

With a frustrated groan, Katara fell back onto the bed to get some sleep before the trial. She might as well get some rest before having to solve _another _complex and unsolvable problem…

* * *

As the cart travelled through the Earth Kingdom countryside, Toph kept pounding on the metal around her, trying to understand what had happened that first time she had. But to her ultimate frustration, nothing worked. She had tried her hardest to find that tingle she had felt the first time, but it was annoyingly evasive.

She had also tried to repeat what had happened before and punched the metal, hoping to get the same result but was disappointed. Whatever had happened the first time was obviously a fluke.

But Toph couldn't get it out of her mind. In her mind's eye, she could see exactly what had happened to the metal when she had first pounded it. There were _tiny _fragments of stone still inside it, and she had taken advantage of them, unknowingly, to bend it outward and weaken the casing. That's what she thought had happened, anyway, but from the lack of repetition of that same instance, it was obvious that she was mistaken.

Yet she still tried to do it again. Some gut-instinct told her that it _wasn't _a mistake, that it _had_ been real, and she just had to try harder to do it again.

As an earthbender, Toph had learned two things: Neutral Jing and follow your instinct. That was what the badgermoles had taught her in their caves when she ran away to escape her parents and their controlling nature.

They had taught her to wait and listen before striking and also to follow her instincts because in the wild, you could _only _rely on your instincts if you wanted to survive.

Resolving to follow her innate feelings, she took on an earthbending stance.

Ever since she started meditating in the cage, she had noticed something. Her sense of "sight" was actually _stronger _inside than even on normal earth. She had always assumed that she would be _truly _blind inside a metal cage since metal could not be bent. But clearly that was wrong, and maybe this preconceived notion was wrong as well.

Taking a deep breath, Toph began doing various earthbending forms inside her casings. Each time, she could feel her seismic sense becoming stronger and stronger as if she were repeatedly stomping the earth to gain better and more numerous vibrations from which to "see".

Clearly, her bending still worked inside the cage if her sight was clearer than ever before.

Determined to confirm her suspicions, Toph laid a hand on the cage and reached out her senses as far as they would go, trying very hard to find those trace amounts of stone that she had found earlier.

Finally, after several minutes of sensing, she found them!

"Hah!" She screamed in triumph.

Having found the jackpot, she extended her senses to the purified metal surrounding the stone filaments.

_Wait a minute_, Toph thought as she did so, _Metal comes from earth… It's just been purified and refined by fire… So metal is nothing more than earth… Just a cleaner version…_

Her resolve strengthening, Toph reached those filaments one more time and then grasped the purified _earth _around them and pulled the entire thing open.

In the forest, the resonant ripping sound reverberated through the trees, and the ostrich-horse stopped moving in shock.

Taking advantage of the stop, Toph quickly jumped out of the cage and made her way up the hill in front of her, ready to take on her captors.

"It's another one of her tricks!"

She smirked as she heard Master Yu's scared voice.

"There's a giant hole in the box! How is that a trick?"

"It's not! It's the real deal."

Toph locked the two men between walls and pushed them into the cage. Then, propelling herself forward from the summit of the hill, she grabbed each side of the cage's hole and closed it without a second thought.

After that initial struggle to bring the metal within her power, it was already like second nature to her.

Jumping onto to the top of the cage, Toph said, "I am the greatest earthbender in the world! I can bend metal! And don't you two dunderheads forget it!"

Satisfied of having turned Xin Fu's own words against him and putting the two bounty hunters in their rightful place, Toph jumped back down. She had to make her way back to Ba Sing Se; her friends needed her.

Pulling up an earthen wave, she began to run back to the west. Katara needed her, and though she wouldn't ever admit it, she desperately wanted one of Katara's motherly hugs right now. Whenever her own mother had failed her, Katara had always been there to fill the void, and now she needed the waterbender's comfort and hugs more than ever…

Focusing herself back on the issue at hand, Toph raced to the great walls of Ba Sing Se once more…

* * *

As soon as the Council had made its decision, Kuei had dispatched Royal Guards all over the city to gather every Dai Li agent in the city.

After two hours of grueling work, the mission was finished, and all 2,118 Dai Li agents were accounted for and brought into custody. It was a good thing that Long Feng had always kept such meticulous records as to each and every agent's movements in the city. Using those, the Guard was able to finish their work within a matter of minutes.

With every single agent in custody, the Guard went to the dungeons to bring Long Feng to face his charges.

Using metal shackles, six Guards took him into their care and dragged him up to the Council's war room to face justice for his crimes.

When everyone was settled in the war room with Long Feng and the Dai Li Lieutenant hanging from the ceiling with metal chords to prevent them from escaping, King Kuei , dressed in his ceremonial royal robes, began his lengthy list of charges.

Ignoring the King, Long Feng cursed his luck. He hadn't expected the King to move his trial up two days. He had hoped to use the two days to plan and execute his escape. Well, it was too late for that.

"And so," the Earth King concluded, "I ask the Council to consider both Long Feng's and the Dai Li's crimes and come to a conclusion."

Long Feng's eyes widened in horror at what he had just heard. He knew that he would be on trial, but he hadn't expected the entire Dai Li to be tried as well for _his _crimes. As evil and frustrating as he was, even he cared about the men under his command. He didn't want his men to be convicted of crimes they did not commit of their own accord.

But then again… The Dai Li had sworn loyalty to _him_, a prisoner, instead of their sovereign… That was treason as well…

Either way, there was little to do.

As he finished his musings, Long Feng saw that the council had returned from their deliberating chamber.

General How stood up and read from a parchment, "With a 4-0 vote, this council and military tribunal finds Long Feng and the Dai Li guilty of all charges and accede to His Highness, the 52nd Earth King, Kuei, to sentence them as he sees fit and as per the law's permissions."

How then took a seat, and Kuei stepped up along with Katara, who was dressed in garb of the Earth Kingdom court.

"For their crimes, Long Feng and his second-in-command are sentenced to death by hanging to be carried out in two hours' time inside the Royal Palace's dungeons, and the Dai Li is hereby disbanded with the approval of Avatar Aang's regent in his absence: Lady Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. Furthermore, all Dai Li agents will remain in custody of the Earth Kingdom until Avatar Aang returns from his departure and decides on their fate. That rests in his hands, just as was written into law by Avatar Kyoshi and the 46th Earth King."

Having finished, the King motioned for the Guards to take the Dai Li's leaders away, to be executed.

"This tribunal is hereby adjourned," How announced.

Katara and Kuei withdrew to the palace at the announcement.

Once inside, they both went to the meeting hall, and Kuei called a server to bring some tea.

"So now what?" Katara questioned.

"Hm?"

"What're you going to do about the city's law enforcement, Your Highness?"

"Katara, please, call me Kuei when we're alone or out of public. I don't want our relationship to be that of a lord and vassal."

He gave her a pointed look, and she hesitantly nodded. This was going to take some getting used to.

"Anyway, I honestly don't know. I talked to Chief Songhu—he leads the Guard—and he said that they can probably do it for a month or so. After that, we will have to find a new law enforcement authority in the city."

Katara nodded and reached up to rub her head. Since when had a simple plan to invade the Fire Nation on the Day of Black Sun become so complicated? It was not meant to be this way at all!

"On a side note," Kuei interjected, noticing Katara's growing weariness, "I did as you asked and sent messages to the North Pole and the Northern Air Temple. I imagine we will be receiving their replies within the week's end."

The young waterbender perked up slightly at this. This was good news indeed. Before he left, Sokka had instructed his sister to contact their allies in the north as soon as possible. He had also attached a few scrolls to the message meant for the Northern Air Temple.

Katara was dumbfounded by the drawings on the inside at first, but after Sokka's explanations, things began to fit together.

"Thank you, Kuei. For everything. These past few days have been too tough on all of us, but thank you for taking the initiative. The whole world is in your gratitude."

Kuei just smiled. "There is nothing to thank for, Katara. It is you who are the hero, you and all your friends. I just hope that we can still free the world from the Fire Lord's tyranny…"

* * *

Groaning, Zuko pulled himself into a sitting position. He hadn't been in this much pain since his first Agni Kai… Blinking to refocus himself, he reached up and massaged his scar. There was a tingling sensation there that he had never felt.

He slowly and painfully pulled himself up from the cot and went to wash his face. It was probably grimy from not having been cleaned in several days.

Splashing water on himself, Zuko wondered how long this pain and misery would last. Uncle Iroh had said that in the end, it would all be worth it, but so far, it didn't seem like it would.

Finishing in the bathroom, Zuko went back to his cot and unceremoniously crashed back onto it to re-enter a world of dark and unpleasant dreams…

_From the distance, the rhythm of Fire Army soldiers marching grew louder and louder._

_The villagers cowered in fear and ran into their homes as the men in red uniform came ever closer._

_Upon reaching the village, the Fire General gave one remorseless command: "Burn it down to the ground."_

_The first ranks moved in and thrust their fists forward simultaneously, releasing hoses of flame. Within minutes, the first few houses became engulfed in the inferno. The villagers tried to escape, but not a single one of them could make it out alive. Anyone who tried to run was burned. Almost in no time, the entire village was in the red and orange, and not a single person survived the onslaught._

Panting, Zuko snapped awake and curled up into a fetal position. What had he just seen? This war was meant to spread the Fire Nation's glory and wealth to the world, not destroy the world! But wasn't this what he had seen while travelling amongst the Earth Kingdom? Hell, wasn't this what he himself was willing to do in order to survive? He was nearly willing to attack a pregnant woman… And he had stolen an ostrich-horse from an innocent family who had just found a means of survival…

Shuddering and trying to fight back tears of anger and helplessness, Zuko tried to fall back asleep. This would be a long and extremely painful journey.

* * *

_"You've failed me," Fire Lord Ozai's voice hissed. "You know that I don't stand for failure. I will have you destroyed if you ever stand in my way again…"_

Azula snapped awake and gasped. Yesterday's events played themselves again in her mind. She still couldn't understand how she was bested. And she still couldn't understand how she had lost control.

Ever since her father began grooming her at a very young age, he had taught her control, and she had embraced it as an extension of her own being. She had utilized it to her advantage whenever the instance to do so presented itself and had never lost it—never until yesterday.

The one thing she prided herself in, she had unwittingly surrendered! And to a peasant, no less!

Azula thrashed around and hit her head and hands against the wall and her bindings, screaming. She had to get out of here! She had to make sure her father still approved of her and that nothing had changed to a point of no return. She needed to reassert her control over her world, and there was no way that she could do that in here.

In the next cells, Mai and Ty Lee worried about their fallen friend. They knew her tendencies and understood that this loss would deeply affect the princess, perhaps beyond repair. There was no telling what she would do next. An unhinged Fire Princess was not a good thing.

Then, suddenly, blue flames burst out of Azula's cell, followed by loud, pain-filled sobs.

Within the minute, though, all went silent, and the three girls fell back into an uneasy sleep as a Royal Earthbender Guard brought them food.

* * *

"Sokka, I'm already proud of you," Hakoda said with a smile. "I already know what a great warrior you are. Why do you think I trusted you to take care of our tribe after I left?"

Sokka looked up at his father with uncertainty. "You are?"

Hakoda nodded. "Now go get ready for battle, son!"

Sokka gave a quick bow to his father and disappeared into his tent to prepare for the coming Fire Navy attack.

The warriors assembled on the sand, watching as the mines detonated in the bay and Fire Navy ships began to sink. It was almost over. Only three ships remained.

"Warriors," Hakoda commanded, "Bear Team, take the first ship; Wolf Team, take the second; Fox Team, take the last. I want every Fire Nation soldier on that ship sent home and those hunks of metal under Water Tribe control in the next three hours. Move out!"

The warriors took their canoes and went out to meet the Fire Navy in battle.

* * *

"Um, hello, Guru Pathik, is that you?" Aang asked in confusion at the old monk seated in a yogic position on top of the spire of the Eastern Air Temple.

"Indeed! I assure you are Avatar Aang."

"Uh.. yeah. You said you could help me master the Avatar State in your message."

"Ah yes, Avatar Aang. Indeed I can." He took out a bowl with yellow liquid. "And this is the first step to becoming a fully realized Avatar."

Aang cautiously sipped a bit and then immediately spit it back out. "This tastes like onion and banana soup!" He exclaimed in disgust.

"That's because it is!" The guru said cheerfully before taking a long gulp out of his own bowl.

Aang looked at the spiritual teacher incredulously. "You're insane, aren't you?"

The guru just grinned back at him.

_This is going to be a long session learning…_

* * *

**Author's Note: **As always, thanks for reading! And please leave a review! :)


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